Comfort 7/10

Excellent seats, but not as smooth as the best

There’s a little more wind noise than we’d like from around the wing mirrors, and hard acceleration can cause the 2.0-litre diesel to make its voice felt, but otherwise you’ll find the A6 a quiet place to spend time.

It also has excellent seats that stop you getting back ache on a long trip, and there's a wide range of seat and steering wheel adjustment to help you find a driving position that suits.

The sportier-looking S-line models come with sports suspension, which makes them firmer, but strangely no less comfortable, than the softer SE version, as the stiffer damping controls the body better and causes wheels to thump down into ruts in the road less heavily. That said, no A6 rides as comfortably as a Mercedes E-class.

Book a free Audi A6 home test drive

Dashboard layout 8/10

Quite simple and very classy

Among its rivals, only the more pricier Mercedes E-class feels more upmarket inside than the Audi A6. All of the buttons and control knobs have a slick action, and the general feeling is one of luxury and quality.

The instruments are easy to read at a glance, too, and you operate many of the car's functions by scrolling through well-ordered menus on a colour screen.

However, the system isn't as user-friendly as the one in the BMW 5-series because it takes a lot of familiarisation before you can tell the shortcut buttons apart without taking your eyes off the road.

Also, while the dashboard is positioned quite close to you to make everything easy to reach, that also makes it a little too easy to catch your knee on the corner of it when getting in and out of the car, which can be painful.

Easy to drive 8/10

Pretty easy, whichever engine you choose

The Audi A6 is a big car, and feels it. But at the front, the relatively squared-off nose helps you judge where the corners are, and when reversing, the standard front and rear parking sensors will help you to work out where the tail of the car is.

Many versions of the A6 have an automatic gearbox as standard, too, which makes stop-start traffic easy to deal with, while those that don’t are available with one as an option. This is best used in "comfort" mode, however, as "efficiency" and "dynamic" cause it to be a little jerky.

Just as crucially, every engine in the A6 range – even the cheapest 2.0-litre diesel – offers plenty of punch.

The only slight problem comes when you're looking to change lanes on the motorway; the chunk of metal between the front and rear windows is rather wide, limiting over-the-shoulder visibility.

Autonomous driving

The A6 doesn't offer fully autonomous driving as yet, but adaptive cruise control, which accelerates and brakes for you in accordance with the car in front, is available as an option. It works right down to a stop, which means the car can control its own speed in traffic queues, so that all you have to do is steer.

The system is one of the better ones on the market, with smooth, controlled braking and acceleration and very little jerkiness.

Fun to drive 6/10

Confidence-inspiring, but it's no sports car

The Audi A6 has many strengths, but fun isn't one of them because its steering feels vague and overly light at speed.

It’s a pity, because the A6 actually grips well in corners, and it's suspension does a good job of preventing excessive lean, while the S6 and RS6 performance models are shockingly quick.

Choose a quattro four-wheel-drive version of the A6 and it feels very surefooted even in treacherous conditions. But compared with a BMW 5-series or a JaguarXF, it's still rather dull and uninvolving to drive.

Reliability 5/10

Probably won't leave you stranded, but warranty could be better

Audi doesn't have the best record for reliability. In the 2016 JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study, it came 22nd out of 24 manufacturers - a pretty poor showing by anyone's estimation

It’s also worth noting that Audi's warranty last for three years or 60,000 miles – whichever comes sooner – whereas Mercedes and BMW both offer three-year, unlimited-mileage warranties.

Fuel consumption 8/10

2.0-litre diesels look impressive on paper

The 2.0-litre diesel version of the A6 is impressively economical. In fact, compared like-for-like with other diesel automatics of its type, it's the most efficient - matched only by the Mercedes E220d.

More powerful diesel models don't fare quite so well, by dint of the fact they come as standard with four-wheel drive. Rivals with two-wheel drive are lighter, and therefore achieve better fuel economy figures.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that we struggled to get anywhere near the official fuel consumption figures in real-world driving conditions.

Affordability 8/10

Looks great value, especially if you lease

You can get a BMW 5-series for less than an A6 - but only if you settle for a less powerful version, for which Audi has no equivalent.

Like-for-like, however, the A6 is cheaper to buy than the BMW, though only marginally. However, both models are considerably less costly than the Mercedes E-class.

The A6 also holds its value well, which contributes to very reasonable leasing costs - cheaper than either of its chief rivals'. And servicing and repair costs are about par for the course for this type of car.

Company car drivers will be pleased to note that, thanks to its low price and emissions, the A6 Ultra will work out cheap to tax.

Safety 7/10

Autonomous braking is an expensive extra

The Audi A6 scored the maximum five stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests, which are the benchmark in Europe. It rated well for adult and child protection, though the BMW 5-series did even better in these areas.

It's worth pointing out, though, that the A6 was tested back in 2011, and EuroNCAP's safety rating system has moved on since then, meaning newer cars with five-star ratings will be safer still.

It's also disappointing to discover that autonomous emergency braking, a system that can anticipate impending head-on collisions and apply the brakes to mitigate or prevent them, is only available as part of an expensive options pack.

As systems such as these have been proven to reduce crashes by as much as 38 per cent, and are available as standard on much cheaper cars, it's disappointing Audi makes you pay so much extra for it.

The S-line version adds sports seats which are electrically adjustable, LED headlamps, and a selection of cosmetic tweaks to make it look more purposeful.

Then there’s the Black Edition, which brings an upgraded sound system, tinted rear windows, and a selection of blacked-out body parts.

On the whole, then, the A6 is equipped on a par with most of its rivals, which is good news when you consider it costs less.

Our favourite version

2.0 TDI Ultra SE Executive S tronic, list price £34,525

Options you should add Metallic paint (£655)

The verdict 7/10

The AudiA6 is a very capable and competent executive car choice. Spacious, comfortable and classy, it's also very affordable to run if you choose the Ultra model. That said, it lacks the flair of some of the other options in this class. For example, a Mercedes E-class is even smoother, a Jaguar XF is more fun to drive, and a Volvo S90 is more stylish, inside and out.